Infant&#39;s chair



March 28, 1961 Filed June 19, 1958 P. L. BARKER INFANT'S CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I I I March 28, 1961 P. L. BARKER INFANT'S CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1958 INVENTOR. H406 LEAR/(61F FQH 1 HUI I I s M5.

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March 28, 1961 P. BARKER INFANT'S CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 19, 1958 INVENTOR. 1 u L. Bfl/P/lf/F. BY

duction Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed June 19, 1958, Ser. No. 743,194 4 Claims. Cl. 155-18) This invention relates to an infants chair having a torsion rubber support. I

It is an object of this invention to provide an infants chair of simple structure which will yieldingly support the infant in a novel manner; which can be readily collapsed to a compact condition; and which is strong and stable.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an infants chair embodying the invention, the chair being shown in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the infants chair in collapsed condition with the canvas seat and plastic tray removed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing in full lines the seat fully elevated and in dotted lines the seat 11111 a lower position due to movement of an infant in the c air.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the upper end of the infants chair.

Fig. 6 is a perspective exploded view of the torsion rub ber joint used in the infants chair.

Fig. 7 is a perspective. exploded view of a portion of the' joint shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 88 in Fig. 3. I

Referring to Fig. 1, the infants chair comprises a base 10 formed of tubular side rails 11. Each side rail includes an upwardly extending rear end portion 12, a short horizontal forwardly extending portion 13, and upwardly and forwardly extending portion 14 and a downwardly extending portion 15. Plastic pads 59, 60 are provided at the lower ends of portions 15 and the rear ends' of portions 13, respectively,'to engage the floor and prevent the chair-from marring the floor.

Base 10 also includes a transverse tube '16 fastened to and extending between rear end portions '12 of rails 11, a transverse rod 17 extending between the forward ends of portions 13 of the rails 11 and a transverse rod 18 extending between the rails 11. A footrest 19 comprisnite States Patent 9 "too element 32 are flattened and provided with slots 34 through which the pins 27 extend. Each side of U' frame 24 is provided with integral spaced vertical cars which form an open-sided socket 35 into which the lower end of a leg of back element 32 extends to lock the back element 32 in operative vertical position. 'As shown in Fig. 5 back element 32 is movable upwardly ,so that the lower ends of the legs of back element 32 move out of engagement with sockets 35 to free back element 32 for pivoting forwardly to collapsed position into contact with bar 37 extending between sides 25 of U frame 24, dotted line showing Fig. 5, or for pivoting rearwardly to a reclined position.

Seat 28 also includes a strap 36 extending upwardly from the midsection of seat portion 29 and having its end looped over a cross bar 37 extending between sides 25 intermediate their ends. The end of strap 36 is fastened to the body of strap 36 by snap fasteners. A plastic tray 33 is supported on the forward end of sides 25 and includes a peripheral flange 39 engaging therewith and with bar 37.

Seat 1 is supported for swinging movement about a transverse axis at the rear of frame 10 by parallelogram in operating position, the joint being disengageable to permit collapsing of the seat as presently described. By way of description and without limitation, torsion rubber joint 23 is shown and described herein as being at the lower end of each arm 21.

The upper and lower ends of arms 20, 21 are flattened.

Each arm 20 is pivoted to its respective side rail 11 by ing a flat plate is supported on, and extends between,

cludes a canvas back portion 31, the upper end of which is i double walled so'that it can he slipped over a' Ll-shaped back element 32, the latter being pivoted to the 'rear end of sides 25 of U frame 24 by pins 27 on the free rear ends of sides 25. The lower ends of thelegs of U-shaped back , of the other support member 42 to lock arm 21 to support member 42 with projection 53 of element 32 en'- a pin 22 at a point intermediate the ends of portion 13 of side rail 11 and is pivoted by pin 26 at its upper end to the forward end of its respective side 25 of U frame 24. Each arm 21 has its lower end pivoted to the flattened upper end of portion 12 of its respective side rail 11 by torsion rubber joint 23 and its upper end pivoted by pin 27 to the rear end of its respective side 25 of U frame 24.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, torsion rubber joint 23, which pivots the lower end of arm 21 to side rail 11,

comprises a torsion block 40 of elastic material such as rubber, either natural or synthetic, having a pair of axially aligned support members 41, 42 embedded in and bonded thereto. 43, a noncircular projection 44, herein shown as square, and a threaded stud -45. An'annular washer element 46 having-a square opening through which projection 44 extends is welded to portion 43 and forms a part of member- 41. The flattened upper end of portion 12 of side rail 11 is provided with a square opening 47 into which square projection 44 on member 41 extends.

Support member 42 is identical to support member 41 and also consists of a disc portion 52, a square projection 53 and a threaded stud 54. An annular washer element 55 is welded to the disc portion 52 and forms a partof support member 42. The flattened lower end of each arm 21 is provided with a square opening 56 which is complementary to the square projection 53. on support 42;

A nut 51 is screwed on stud 45 to lock support element 41. on .frame portion 12 with projection 44 engaged in square opening 47 in frame portion 12: Lock'washer 50 is mounted on stud 45 between nut 51 and frame portion 12. 'A wing nut 58 is screwed on the threaded stud 54 Support member 41 consists of a disc portion 3 gaged in square opening 56 in the lower end of arm 21. A washer 57 is placed on stud 54 between arm 21 and wing nut 5".

When an infant seated in seat 28 moves upwardly or downwardly, support member 42 rotates relative to member 41 thereby twisting the rubber torsion block it or placing it in torsion. The rubber torsion block 4%) cpposes this motion and acts as a torsion spring to provide yielding movement of arms 21 relative to base 16*.

As shown in Fig. 4, arms 21 are straight. Arms 2% have a straight central portion and straight end portions, the axes of the end portions being parallel to one an other. Arms 2t), 21 extend upwardly and forwardly and maintains sides 25 of U frame 24 in generally horizontal position. Arms 2'19, 21 with base it) and U frame 24- form a parallelogram type linkage. the seat swings downwardly under the weight and action of an infant the parallelogram type linkages guide and maintain sides 25 of U frame 2 in generally horizontal position so that the infant is adequately supported.

To collapse the chair for storage or travel, seat back element 32 is moved upwardly to move the lower ends of the leg of back element 32 out of engagement with sockets 35 in sides 25 of U frame 24 and permit element 32 to be pivoted downwardly and forwardly into contact with cross bar 37 as shown in dotted linm in Fig. 5.

Wing nuts 58 are loosened permitting the lower ends of arms 21 to be sprung inwardly a suiiicient distance to disengage the square projections 44-, from openings 56 in the arms without completely removing arms 21 from their pivotal relationship to the studs S t on their respective support elements 42. The chair then be collapsed by pivoting arms 20, 21 forwardly and downwardly along with frame 24 into base iii. As shown in Fig. 2, in the collapsed position the arm 21 and side bar 25 of U frame 24 on each side of the chair are in line and substantially horizontal.

i claim:

1. Au iniants chair comprising a generally rectangular base, a pair of arms comprising a front and rear arm at each side of said chair, a seat, means for pivoting the upper ends of each arm in each pair of said arms to spaced points on said seat for swinging movement about generally horizontal axes extending transversely of said seat, said arms extending downwardly and rearwardly from said seat, means for pivoting the lower ends of the front arms to said base at a point intermediate the ends or" the sides of said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, and torsion rubber means for pivoting the lower end of each said rear arm'to said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, each said torsion rubber means comprising a body of rubber, a pair of spaced support elements bonded to said body of rubber, said elements being axially ali ned and being spaced from one another by a mass of rubber, means on the lower end of each said rear arm non-rotatably engaging one or" said support elements and means on said base non-rotatably engaging the other of said support elements with t said support elements extending transversely of said base, said base comprising spaced side members to'which the lower ends of said arms are pivoted, each said sidemember comprising an upwardly extending rear end portion,

a short horizontal portion extending forwardly from the, lower end of the rear end portion, an upwardly and forwardly extending portion connected to the horizontal portion and a downwardly extending portion which is adapted to engage the ground, said horizontal portion also adapted to engagethe ground, the lower ends of said ront arms being pivoted to said horizontal portions of the side members, the lower ends of said rear arms being pivoted to the upper ends of said rear end portions of said sidemernbers. .14;

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said base includes a footrest spanning and extending in a fore and aft direction generally horizontally from the horizontal portions of the side members to the downwardly extending portions of the side members, each said rear arm being substantially. straight, each said front arm comprising a straight central portion and straight end portions angularly inclined to said straight central portion, the axes of the end portions being parallel to one another and spaced from one another whereby the central portion of each said'front arm extends upwardly and forwardly, said means on the lower end or each said rear arm non-rotatably engaging one of said support elements comprising an opening having a noncircular configuration, said one support element having a projection extending into said opening and having a noncircu-lar configuration corresponding to the configuration of said opening, the outer end of said support element being threaded, a nut threaded on said support element, the axial extent of said support element being sutlicient to permit loosening of the nut and disengagement of the lower end of the rear arm from its respective support element without completely removing the nut, whereby in the operative position of said chair the seat is yieldingly supported and whereby said chair may be collapsed by loosening the nuts, disengaging the lower end of each rear arm to permit the chair to be collapsed by pivoting the arm downwardly and forwardly into substantially horizontal position between the side members.

3. An infants chair comprising a generally rectangular base, a pair of arms comprising a front and rear arm at each side of said chair, a seat, means for pivoting the upper end of each arm in each pair of said arms to spaced points on said seat for. swinging movement about generally horizontal axes extending transversely of said seat, said arms extending downwardly and rearwardly from said seat, means for pivoting the lower ends of the front arms to said base at a point intermediate the ends of the sides of said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, and torsion rubber means for pivoting the lower end of each said rear arm to said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, each sai torsion rubber means comprisinga body of rubber, a pair of spaced support elements bonded to said body of rubber, said elements being axially aligned and being spaced from one another by a mass of rubber, means on the lower end of each said rear arm non-rotatably engaging one of said support elements and means on said base non-rotatably engaging the other of said support elements with tne axes of said support elements extending transversely. of said base, said means on the lower end of each said rear arm non-rotatably engaging one of said support elements comprising an opening having a noncircular configuration, said one support element-having a projection extending into said opening and having a no-ncircular configuration corresponding to the configuration of said opening, the outer end of said support element being threaded, a nut threaded'on said support element; the

axial extent of said-support element being suilicient to permit loosening of the nut and disengagement of the lower end of the rear arm from its respective support element without completely removing the nut, whereby in the operative position of said chair the seat is yieldingly supported and whereby said chair may be collapsed byloosening the nuts, disengaging the lower end of each rear armto permit the chair to be collapsed by pivoting the arms downwardly and forwardly into substantially honzontal position between the side members.

4. An infants chair comprising a generally rectangular base, a pair of arms comprising a front and rear arm at-each side of said chair, a seat means for pivotin g the upper ends of each arm in each pair of said arms to spaced points on said'seat for swinging movement about generally horizontal axes extending transversely of said seat, said arms extending downwardly and rearwardly from said seat, means for pivoting the lower ends of the front arms to said base at a point intermediate the ends of the sides of said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, and torsion rubber means for pivoting the lower end of each said rear arm to said base for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis extending transversely of said base, each said torsion rubber means comprising a body of rubber, a pair of spaced support elements bonded to said body of rubber, said elements being axially aligned and being spaced from one another by a mass of rubber, means on the lower end of, each said rear arm non-rotatably engaging one of said support on the other of said arm and said support element extending into said opening and having a non-circular configuration corresponding to the configuration of the opening, and means for disconnectably engaging said projection to prevent axial movement thereof relative to said opening, the axial extent of'said support element being suflicient to permit disengagement of said latter means and disengagement of the lower end of the rear arm' from its respective support element without completely removing the projection from the opening, whereby in the operative position of said chair, the seat is yieldingly supported and whereby said chair may be collapsed by disengaging said readily disconnectable means, disengaging the lower end of each rear arm to permit the chair to be collapsed by pivoting the arms downwardly and forwardly into substantially horizontal position between the side members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,460,596 Roche Feb. 1, 1949 2,605,098 Heudrickson July 29, 1952 2,785,732 Prewitt Mar. 19, 1957 2,855,978 Hamilton Oct. 14, 1958 2,927,628 Gill Mar. 8, 1960 FOREIGN lATENTS 7 634,647 Germany Sept. 1, '1936 1,081,131

France June 5,1954 

